Hey Helga!
by cjrupley08
Summary: Arnold must choose between the certain reality of life with Lila and childhood fantasy when Helga returns to Hillwood after twelve years when her mother passes away. His heart and mind play tug of war with his life... who will be the victor?
1. Chapter 1

_SCREEEEEECH!_ The squeal of the brakes jolted Arnold back to reality. He blinked quickly to adjust to the lighting. The sun had set while he was consumed in his reverie but he felt the darkness comfort him. It had been a long day.

"Arnold? You're my last stop of the night. Are you okay?" The bus driver peered at him in the oversized rearview mirror at the front of the bus.

"I'm fine, Patty," he said as he gathered his things. "PS 118 just isn't the same as when we were there," he chuckled. They said their goodbyes as Arnold ascended the steps and disappeared into the boarding house behind the stream of animals on the stoop.

"Sweetheart? Is that you?" Arnold rounded the corner to the kitchen where Lila stood with a smile on her face. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, babe," he replied through her kisses. "How was your day?"

"It was ever so interesting! You'll never guess who I ran into at Green Meats!" she gushed. "Helga is back in town!"

At the sound of her name, his heart dropped. Memories of spitballs and knuckle sandwiches flooded his brain and then almost instantaneously the memory of their last encounter sent waves of emotions through his body. That moment atop the tower of FTI when she confessed her love for him was overwhelming… and that kiss… man, that kiss.

But after all was said and done, Helga had denied her feelings and he accepted it. Big Bob shipped her out shortly afterwards as a punishment for ruining his business deal with FTI. Bob kept his daughter's whereabouts a secret and no one had seen or heard from Helga G. Pataki for past fifteen years. _She's back._ "Oh?" he asked attempting to mask his curiosity. "Did you speak to her?"

"Oh heavens no! She was too busy to chat," Lila replied. Arnold slid into a seat at the kitchen table as Lila passed him a newspaper. "It really is sad that she's here under these circumstances but it was ever so nice to see her after so long!"

 _What's sad?_ Arnold immediately regretted asking that question as he opened the newspaper. The big bold print at the center of the page caught his attention: **Beeper Queen Miriam Pataki Passes Away**. _Oh no._

* * *

Dinner was a blur. Arnold was dimly aware of his surroundings but he felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He had to devote all of his brain power to keeping his nerves calm. Besides, not much had changed in fifteen years; Oskar and Susie bickered, Ernie chomped loudly, Mr. Hyunh complained, Grandma practiced kung fu, and Grandpa spent half of dinner in the bathroom. At the end of the night, he had somehow found himself in his old bedroom consumed in his thoughts.

Arnold reached up into a hidden compartment above his bed to retrieve the diary. After Big Bob had effectively kiboshed his many attempts to contact Helga, Arnold had snuck into the Pataki residence to snoop and found Helga's diary in the process. He shook his head and brushed the years of caked on dust away from the cover. He hadn't read it since Lila accepted his proposal two years ago. He flipped through pages of poetry and musings, doodles and confessions, tales of love and of heartache. _I really thought she hated me back then,_ he thought as he stashed the book back in its hiding place. He made the climb to the roof and sat on the ledge, dangling his legs off the side as he looked up at the sapphire sky glittering with diamonds.

"Babe?" Lila squeaked. "There you are. Is everything okay?" She wore her concern on her beautifully freckled face. "You've been off since you've been home."

"I'm fine… I just hate when we have to renew our accreditation." He wasn't lying—not completely anyway. The accreditation process really did stress him out but that wasn't the only reason he was withdrawn… but Lila wouldn't understand.

Lila beamed at him, "Oh but you're so good at your job!" She stepped closer to him and pulled his signature blue cap off his head and onto her short red hair. "This looks so much better on me," she teased.

Arnold smiled at her. "It looks much better on our bedroom floor." _I must be crazy thinking about Helga G. Pataki when Lila is everything I've ever wanted._ Arnold retreated into the boarding house after his fiancé, determined to put all visions of pigtails and pink bows out of his mind.

* * *

"I'm telling you, man, she's not Helga! I'm convinced Big Bob killed her or something then hired somebody to play her for Miriam's funeral." Arnold stared in disbelief at his best friend after hearing his theory.

"What do you mean?"

"She's, you know, she's hot. She's got two eyebrows, first of all," Gerald started.

"Maybe she bought tweezers?" Arnold offered.

"Well she doesn't slouch anymore."

"Bob did send her to finishing school somewhere in California, Gerald," Phoebe chimed in.

"Well how do you explain that she isn't loud, obnoxious, bossy, or rude?" Gerald challenged.

"You said yourself that you only talked to her for a minute! How do you know she isn't any of those things anymore?" asked Arnold.

"Man, I don't know... I was focusing on the, um, other attributes she gained while she was away," Gerald replied nervously side glancing Phoebe.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at him. "Of course you were."

Arnold gazed towards the sky, stretching his limbs and taking in all of this information. Gerald was jogging in place beside him while Phoebe stretched her hamstrings on the ground. Saturday morning runs had been a ritual for their group in preparation for Arnold and Lila's upcoming nuptials. Lila was unable to make this session because of work but Arnold was glad he didn't have to stifle his curiosity any longer.

"Loser buys breakfast!" Gerald called as he took off down the sidewalk. Phoebe groaned but sprinted after him. "Remember I like my eggs scrambled, Phoebe!"

Arnold let them have their little head start—after all, it would be unsportsmanlike if he didn't level the playing field since he had been a track star in high school and college. After a few moments, Arnold took off after his friends on an easy jog. Phoebe and Gerald were notorious for exerting too much energy too early during their runs and Arnold knew he would catch up with them in no time.

He loved to take time to appreciate the neighborhood and how much it hadn't changed. He waved to his neighbors and some of his students as he pumped his legs a little harder up a hill. His breathing was even and measured as he felt his muscles tighten slightly. He reached the peak of the hill in no time and picked up momentum on the way down, thinking about what Gerald had said earlier.

 _I wonder if she really is that different_ , he mused. He tried to imagine her but all he could envision was the person she had left as. He shook his thoughts away when he saw his friends huffing and puffing at the bottom of the hill and raced a little harder to catch up to them. The end was so close—he could almost taste the pancakes he would gleefully scarf in front of them.

And then he saw her.

Her long blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders as she exited the flower shop. "Thanks, Mrs. Vitello," her soft, angelic voice called out.

Before he could calculate an alternative trajectory, his brain shut down. "Watch out!" he yelled. He had built up too much momentum, though, and crashed into her.

"Criminy!" she screamed. Her coffee toppled out of her hands and her blue eyes went dark for a minute. "I needed that caffeine," she muttered.

Arnold stared at her. She _was_ different… but he sensed that she was the same somehow, too. She had certainly filled out the way that Gerald had described but she was also tan and slightly taller. _What was Gerald talking about? I would know those eyes anywhere._ He could not bear to tear his gaze away from her even as she scowled at him.

"No, no, I'm okay. I didn't like standing anyway," she chuckled. "I thought Eugene was the accident prone one, Arnoldo."

"Are you okay, Helga?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah can you help me up, though?"

"Helping!" Phoebe chirped.

"Geez, where's the damn fire anyway? You were running like a madman!" Helga teased Arnold.

"There was—pancakes and um, I was, um, racing," Arnold huffed. He wasn't sure if he was out of breath from running, falling, or seeing her.

Helga blinked her wide eyes at him while the corners of her mouth twitched upwards before she erupted with laughter. She gasped for air and asked, "You were racing for pancakes?!" She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Loser buys breakfast," he mumbled back. _I sound like an idiot._

Helga nodded. "Well is there coffee at breakfast?"

"Of course!" Phoebe interjected

"Well, let's go then," Helga said. "Loser will also buy me a caffeine replacement!" She and Phoebe sashayed ahead, leaving Gerald to help Arnold up.

"We're not done with our run yet, Helga," Arnold said.

"Yeah, you are," she called out over her shoulders.

"Well, I was wrong," Gerald said sadly.

"About what?"

"She's still bossy," he shrugged.


	2. Chapter 2

"Then your monitor lizard ate the parrot!" Gerald cried. "That was a weird bird! It kept reciting some lame ass poem or something, right?"

Arnold watched Helga shift in her seat. He noticed a mild blush creep across her face and she cast her eyes downward toward her cup of coffee. _Or something_ , he grinned to himself. In the diary he had recovered, Arnold had found that poem the parrot had memorized. _It was her._

"Anyway! Nice to see the gang's still together," said Helga. "What else has everyone been up to?"

"Well I'm sure you heard about Curly going nutso last year. He locked himself in the post office for six hours to look for his package that was late arriving," replied Phoebe with a disapproving frown on her face.

"No shit? What was in the package? Drugs? Weapons? Unmentionables?"

"They were dog biscuits."

"That almost sounds not weird enough for Curly," Helga shrugged.

"His dog had died three years ago, Helga."

"Ohhhh kay! That sounds about right," she shook her head. "I always said he was going to do some damage ever since that kickball incident!"

Silence fell upon the group for a moment before Gerald cleared his throat. "Sorry to break up our reunion, guys, but Phoebe and I have tickets to see Eugene's new musical."

Phoebe rose and reached for Gerald's hand. "Call me, Helga. We'll see you later, Arnold and tell Lila that we missed her." It was Arnold's turn to blush and shift uncomfortably as he watched the pair depart.

"When's the wedding, Arnold?" Helga motioned solemnly towards the golden band on his left hand.

"Lila wants a winter wedding," he said. "She has a vision of a 'wonderfully white winter wonderland' so that's what we're going with."

The corners of her mouth twitched again but she regained her composure and chuckled, "That sounds ever so wonderful!"

Arnold made a face and laughed along with her. Even he couldn't ignore Lila's quirky, polite mannerisms. It had been one of those qualities that had drawn him to her but had somehow lost it's veneer over the years. Most of the time, Arnold chose to overlook all those "ever so's" in their conversations… he had learned to pick his battles.

"I'm just messing with you. I'm sure you'll be very happy together." Helga leaned back into her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. The light dimmed from her eyes and she sighed. "I can't believe I missed so much," she said almost apologetically.

Arnold reached across the small round table and placed his hand on hers. His desire to help people had only intensified since the fourth grade and this time wasn't any different. He could feel the tightness in his chest as his heart shattered watching over a decade of pain consume his childhood friend. "You're here now, Helga."

"I missed fifteen years, Arnold. I missed prom, graduation… I missed life with my mom," she whispered. "How can I forgive Bob for that?"

After a moment Arnold replied. "I tried to find you, Helga." _If you only knew how much I tried_.

Helga's eyes widened even more. She released a shaky breath and blinked hard as if to keep herself tethered to reality.

 _Ringggg. Ringggg. Ringggg._ Arnold fumbled for his phone and froze when he saw Lila's name. _Shit I'm late for lunch!_

He looked up in time to see Helga put some money on the table. "Loser buys breakfast," she winced. "Bye, football head."

* * *

Arnold wiped the sweat from his forehead and fixed his shirt before walking into the hospital. He sped towards the maternity ward completely prepared to grovel and beg for Lila's forgiveness. He spotted her red hair and bright green scrubs sitting behind the nurse's station. _Here we go_ …

"Babe, I'm so sorry. We just lost track of time, I didn't mean to keep you waiting!" Arnold blurted out.

Lila spun around to face him. "Oh sweetie! You didn't get my message, did you? I'm ever so sorry to have wasted your time coming down here. I have to work through lunch today," she pouted. "I'll probably be home a little later than expected as well so you may be on your own for dinner."

Arnold sighed. "That sucks, babe." He kissed her forehead and retraced his footsteps to the hospital entrance. Lila's career as a nurse kept her occupied for most of the week so he was used to "being on his own" for more than just dinner. _Maybe I can just catch dinner with Gerald_ , he thought as he set off towards his best friend's house.

 _Ringggg. Ringggg. Ringggg._

"Speak of the devil," Arnold grinned into his phone. "I was just going to call you!"

"See, Pheebs! I told you he didn't forget!" Gerald lowered his voice, "You're still dog sitting for us while we're at Eugene's right? Dino hasn't been the same since his surgery."

"I didn't forget! I'll be there around four," Arnold lied. _Well there goes my second dinner date. I'm as lame as I was in elementary school._

* * *

The crisp evening air nipped at Arnold's nose. He gripped the dog leash a little tighter to urge the overweight English Bulldog along. They had been on Dino's required evening walk as prescribed by Phoebe— she really wanted this dog to lose some pounds! Dino glared at Arnold as he waddled back toward Gerald and Phoebe's brownstone.

The sun had just begun to set and the street lights were slowly coming on as Arnold pulled his coat tighter around himself. The streets gradually emptied themselves of the throngs of children playing tag and baseball. Arnold was among one of the few lonely souls that littered the sidewalk.

Dino plopped down a few yards away from the brownstone and growled. Arnold's eyes strained into the darkness while Dino barked. He saw a shadowy figure sitting on the steps of Phoebe and Gerald's house. Arnold's heart raced as he watched the shadow turn in his direction.

Suddenly, the stoop was illuminated by the foggy yellow street light. _No fucking way_. Arnold stepped carefully into the light and held his breath. "Hey, Helga."

"Hey, football head," she smiled. "I was looking for Phoebe."

"She's at the theater with Gerald," he replied. Now that they were only a few feet apart, he studied her carefully. Her long hair was pulled up into a bun, her sweats hung off of her slender frame, and her beautiful eyes were puffy and red. She looked almost defeated and small, two words that had probably never been associated with Helga G. Pataki before.

She groaned. "She did say that this morning, didn't she?" Helga slumped back down onto the stoop steps and hung her head. "Criminy," she muttered.

"Come on in, Helga," Arnold said. "I was just about to order a pizza."

Helga silently followed him into the house. She stood in the foyer and shifted from foot to foot. "I can just come back tomorrow or something, Arnold. I feel kind of weird being in someone's home when they aren't here."

"I doubt that Phoebe or Gerald would mind, Helga."

"I still can't believe that they're married," Helga glanced toward the framed canvas photograph of Gerald and Phoebe's first kiss as man and wife. "I can't believe I missed it."

Arnold nodded. "Phoebe sure did miss you," he said as Helga wandered into the living room. He watched her fling herself onto the chaise lounge and throw her arm over her eyes. "What's wrong, Helga?"

Pure unadulterated silence pierced the night before Helga shot up in her seat. "My dad kicked me out! Can you believe that?! He blames me for Miriam's decline into the abyss of alcoholism. How can I be to blame? I was nine— NINE!— when he shipped me across the damn country!" She huffed.

He listened to her rant, as he had numerous times before. There was something about the way she spoke with so much passion that captivated him. Her soul was so fiery her words became flames, melting away fifteen years of injustices that had culminated into tonight's outburst.

"He said I had a choice! Choice! Choice! Under the reign of Big Bob Pataki, what _is_ choice?" Her entire body seethed with rage as her knees pulled into her chest almost instinctively.

Arnold sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a strong embrace. He held her until she stopped shuddering. Time became irrelevant as Arnold struggled to differentiate seconds and minutes from hours. Her hair smelled faintly of mangoes, he realized. _Dammit. Snap out of it_. "Helga?" She had been silent for a while now… or had she?

Soft snores escaped her slightly parted lips and her tears had dried on her cheeks and soaked into his shirt. He didn't have the heart to wake or move her… not yet. _Just a few more minutes_ , he thought. The silence enveloped them into safety, wrapping and rocking them both into the sweetest lullaby nature could ever create.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of coffee stirred him out of his dreamless sleep. With his eyes still closed, he sensed he was being watched. _Fuck._ Arnold slowly opened his eyes and lifted his gaze to meet his spectator. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Gerald. _What time is it?_

Gerald frowned at him and sighed. "Arnold, man. What are you doin? It's almost two in the morning, dude, and we walked in to you guys—" he shook his head.

"Nothing happened, Gerald. We just fell asleep."

Gerald stared at him for a moment before relaxing. "I told Phoebe! I told her that you'd never do anything with Helga G. Pataki!" he beamed. "I told her that no matter how unbelievably hot she got, that she would always be the girl that tortured you for years."

"It's not like that, Gerald. I mean yeah she's beautiful—"

"Gorgeous."

"Right. She's gorgeous. But she's hurting… she needs help. She came looking for Phoebe last night and I couldn't just turn her away into the darkness." _Am i trying to convince him or myself?_ "Where is Helga anyway?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.

"Phoebe took her home. They're going to try to talk some sense into Big Bob," Gerald replied. "You'd better get going, man," he glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner as it tolled two o'clock. "Isn't Lila getting off soon?"

 _Fuck_. "Yeah she is. Thanks, man. I'll see you tomorrow?" Arnold and Gerald rose to their feet and clasped their hands together, wiggling their thumbs— it had been their signature handshake since grade school.

"If Lila lets you live that long, then sure!" Gerald teased as he closed the door behind Arnold.

Arnold stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes, letting the streetlight shower him in its dim, yellow hue. He reached for his phone and dialed Lila's number but immediately reached her voicemail. "Hey, babe. I'm leaving Gerald's now… I guess I'll meet you at home. I love you." Despite the way Helga had made him feel— safe and secure yet adventurous and excited— he really did love Lila. He set off on foot toward the boarding house, lost in his thoughts.

Sunset Arms was dark and eerily quiet, save for the collective snores of his unconventional family coming from their respective rooms. Arnold pulled on a string at the end of the hallway, and the familiar steps fell at his feet. He pulled off his coat and kicked off his shoes at the door and climbed into his old bed.

As he did so many times when he was younger, he lay awake looking at the glittering stars above him searching for answers. When his eyelids and heart became too heavy to fight anymore, Arnold gave in to his exhaustion.

* * *

"You got in pretty late, short man," Grandpa said as Arnold made his way to the table for breakfast.

"I was watching Dino for Gerald last night, Grandpa."

"Dino Spumoni? I just love him! He got his start right here in this boarding house, you know!" Grandma exclaimed as she emerged from the kitchen toting a platter of pancakes and an oversized cowboy hat. "Eat up, Tex! You need your energy if you're going to round up the cattle and fix the fences before the storm rolls in tonight!"

"Pookie for the last time, we don't have cattle and there is no storm!"

Arnold smiled, thankful for the distraction from his grandfather's inquisition about his whereabouts the night before. Lila trotted down the steps a short time later and kissed Arnold's blonde hair.

"Good morning, everyone! This looks oh so delicious! Do you need any help, Grandma?"

Grandma blinked at her, her blank expression quickly turning into confusion. "Who are you?"

"Pookie, do we need to do this every morning?" Grandpa groaned. "That's the short man's girlfriend, Lulu."

"Grandpa, you are just ever so delightful! It's Lila, remember?" Lila giggled

"Yeah yeah same thing," Grandpa said with a mouthful of food.

Arnold sighed and shook his head. No matter how hard he had tried, his grandparents could not remember Lila's name even though she had lived in the boarding house for the past year. After the breakfast dishes were clear, Arnold and Lila set off to the park.

He listened to her chatter about her night in the maternity ward, making sure to absorb enough to interject every so often. They walked hand in hand down the street, stopping to talk to a few people on their way. "So how was your night?"

 _Now or never._ Arnold took a deep breath, ready to tell Lila every single detail about the night before when a gust of wind carried the sweet smell of mangoes past them. They turned the corner and there she was, sitting at an outdoor bistro table, engrossed in writing.

"Helga! It's ever so nice to see you again!" She gushed.

Helga's head shot up and slammed her journal shut defensively. Her shoulders tensed up and she stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over. "I was just leaving," she blurted out and rushed off.

A waitress rushed out in time to see Helga racing off. "Miss? Miss! Did you want to cancel your order?" She called after Helga.

Lila turned to Arnold and narrowed her gaze at him. "Are you going to make me ask again or are you going to tell me how your night was?"

* * *

"When I woke up, Helga was gone," Arnold finished.

Lila stared at him, her arms folded and brows furrowed. "Is that all?"

"Yes, babe. That's all that happened," he wrapped his arms around her stiff body.

"Well then I'm oh so certain I don't understand why she rushed off like that," Lila mused. "But I supposed you didn't do anything wrong, if you're sure nothing else but comfort between old friends was all that happened."

"Nothing but comfort, I promise."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"Okay so let's go to the park and forget this ever happened?" Arnold offered ready to put the past twenty four hours behind them.

"Actually, Arnold, to be completely honest, I just don't feel like it anymore. Can we just go home?"

He sighed, "Of course, Lila. Let's go home."

They walked back in silence, their hands loosely cupped together. They entered the boarding house and nearly tripped over four suitcases in the foyer. Abner looked at them quizzically from his spot at the bottom of the stairs.

"Is that you, short man?" Grandpa yelled from the living room.

"Grandpa, who does all this stuff belong to?" Arnold asked, following the sound of his Grandma's laughter into the next room. _You've got to be shitting me._

Helga sat on the couch, her disarming smile quickly turning into an apologetic frown. "I have nowhere else to go," she said.

Arnold glanced back at Lila, her face now ghostly pale. "We don't have any rooms," Lila said matter of factly.

"Well of course we do, Lulu!" Grandpa chirped. "She can stay in Arnold's old room since you guys moved into the suite last year!"

Uncomfortable silence settled upon the group before Grandma jumped up from her seat on the couch. "Let's not just sit here! Arnold, help Helga with her bags!" Grandma ordered. She turned to Arnold and Lila as they stood frozen in their tracks. "Who's your friend back there, Tex? Does she need a room too?" she asked.


	4. Chapter 4

A blare of flourescence pierced through the room, eliminating the darkness and momentarily blinding Arnold. He sat up hastily from his temporary bed made on the uncomfortable couch, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.

"Arnold!" Helga exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's _my_ house, Helga… somehow i feel like I should ask _you_ that question," Arnold replied.

Her eyes darkened, her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth transitioning to her trademark scowl. For a moment, she looked like her old self: the passionate, young, angry nine-year-old girl that he had known for so long. "I told you," she seethed. "I have _nowhere_ else to go."

In his heart of hearts, Arnold knew that was the truth. He had talked to Gerald earlier that evening and had found out that Big Bob had threatened to fire Gerald if he helped Helga. Gerald had climbed Big Bob's company ladder and had earned himself a high ranking marketing position, a position that would devastate him to lose.

"Really, Arnoldo, tell me. Tell me what the hell I was supposed to do this morning when I was _homeless_ ," Helga hissed. "No? Okay well then I guess my plan sounds pretty damn good, doesn't it?"

Arnold sighed heavily. "Look, Helga… you're right okay? I'm sorry… I'm just— I'm frustrated and I'm tired and this couch isn't helping me any."

She relaxed noticeably and bit her full bottom lip. "Why are you on the couch?"

"Lila is studying and I didn't want to bother her," he lied. _Actually, she refused to sleep next to me because she's convinced there is something going on between us_ , his mind screamed.

"You're a horrible liar, Arnold," Helga said as she plopped on the couch beside him. She grimaced as she shifted, trying to find comfort on the tattered green couch.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax, football head. I'm just trying to be a friend to you… like you were to me. That's all."

"Really, Helga, there's nothing wrong. Lila is just studying and I came down here to get some shut eye," Arnold insisted. Helga studied his face for only a moment before the stairs began to creak and Lila appeared in the doorway.

* * *

Lila's green eyes bore a hole through Helga's back as she ascended the stairs. She spun around to face Arnold, her mouth pressed into a thin, hard line. "What. The. Fuck."

 _Oh shit… she's cussing._ "Lila…" Arnold started

She held up a finger, effectively silencing him for a moment. "It's been less than a day since she moved in and you are already having a secret rendezvous!"

"It wasn't secret nor was it a rendezvous! I was laying here in the dark— because you put me out— and she walked in!"

"Well why didn't you just walk out?"

"And go where, Lila? I couldn't go to our room. I couldn't go to my old room. What was I supposed to do? Go for a leisurely stroll down the street at 11pm in my boxers?"

"You're in your BOXERS?!" Lila exclaimed, ripping the Arnold's blanket away. She giggled unexpectedly then, a kind of nervous high pitched laugh. Her knees buckled and she sat on the floor beside him. "I'm ever so crazy, aren't I?"

Arnold stroked her hair and rolled his eyes. "Of course not, baby."

Lila shifted on the floor and raised her head to meet his gaze. "Honey, I'm sorry. I was just jealous that you spent your night with Helga while I was at work but I'm oh so certain that I understand that you were just being the good person you are."

Arnold smiled and reached down to kiss her lips. "Thanks, baby. Let's go to bed." They rose and headed for the stairs.

"I think it's great that Helga has a great friend like you to help her during this tough time. Just do something for me?" Lila asked sweetly.

"What's that, babe?"

"Wear some pants next time."

* * *

"Go fish!" Grandma yelled.

"Pookie! We're playing poker! And you don't even have any cards!" Grandpa yelled.

 _It is way too early for this_. Arnold thought as he looked at his alarm clock. He rolled over, greeted with the loneliness of an empty mattress. Lila had been paged about an hour before and had left in quite a hurry. The chatter on the floor below summoned him from his slumber and he groggily dragged some clothes on.

The past weekend had been such an emotional rollercoaster that it left him feeling a bit nauseous. He had defended his friendship with Helga, even going so far as to swear that Helga had never had feelings for him to his knowledge. _It's a harmless white lie_ , he told himself. _Besides, the only proof Lila would have is that diary… and it's safely tucked away_ —

"DAMN!" He exclaimed. He raced out into the hallway and started towards the familiar steps, taking them two at a time, bursting into his old room. He was met with a gust of intoxicating mangoes. He inhaled the aroma, captivated.

Arnold glanced around and took notice of the small changes Helga had made to his room. He studied a few of the framed photographs that were on his dresser. Their fourth grade class picture hung on the wall beside the bed, a photograph of her family above it. Arnold climbed onto the messy bed and pulled open his secret drawer just as he heard footsteps approaching.

He dove across the room onto the couch and fumbled with the remote until it rolled him back behind a false wall. He peeked through a crack in the wall and held his breath while Helga entered, with only a towel wrapped around her. Her wet hair clung to her skin as she moved about, gathering an outfit for the day. Arnold looked away as she dressed, not wanting to violate her in any way.

"I forgot my lotion," she said aloud. "I wonder if he has some around here?" Helga began looking around the room; she investigated the closet, his computer desk, and under his bed before resting her eyes upon the drawers above his bed.

 _Oh no_.

Each drawer she opened shaved about a year off of Arnold's life. He prayed for a distraction as Helga's quest for lotion zeroed in on the last drawer. Her eyes widened as she tugged the drawer open. "Empty," she mumbled. _What?_ "Guess I'm going to the store," she said.

He waited until he heard her footsteps retreat down the stairs and down the hall before he freed himself of dust bunnies and cobwebs. _What did she mean? "EMPTY"?!_ Arnold jumped on the bed and yanked the empty drawer right out of place.

 _No._ He pulled open another empty drawer. _No_. Every single drawer was emptied out onto the bed, as Arnold frantically searched for the pink diary. _No! No! No! NO!_

"It's gone," he said dejectedly as he hung is head in defeat.

 _Fuck_.


	5. Chapter 5

_Gone_. Arnold slammed his fist on the table with enough force to topple the salt shaker over. He laid his chin on the table and studied the grains of salt, pushing them around with his fingers until he formed a zig zag pattern.

"Whoa there, short man! Better throw some salt over your shoulder before you wind up with the devil on your back," Grandpa cackled. When Arnold remained silent, Grandpa's smile faltered. "Whats wrong?"

Arnold placed his nose on the table to avoid Grandpa's inquisitive stare. "I'm a failure at life," he groaned.

"Well as long as you've made peace with it—"

"Grandpa!"

"Oh, all right, Arnold. Why do you fail at life?" Grandpa said as he pulled out a chair across the table.

"I hid something somewhere and now I can't find it and its really important that I have control of it at all times."

"So you misplaced something, eh? If that makes you a failure at life, then what does that make your grandmother?" mused Grandpa as he rubbed his chin.

"Grandpa!"

"What is it?"

"What?"

"The thing you misplaced!" said Grandpa in exasperation. The color in Arnold's face immediately drained as his brain fumbled through excuses to spit out. "Say, it isn't that old pink diary you stole from your friend with the one eyebrow, is it?"

Bright, hot flashes illuminated Arnold's cheeks. _What the hell!?_

"You fell asleep reading that old thing so many times over the years. How did you think it always ended up in that not-so-secret drawer?" Grandpa chortled.

"Please tell me you moved it before Helga moved in!" Arnold begged.

"Hmm. I guess that was the smart thing to do," he said. Arnold's heart leapt for joy. "But nope! Sorry, short man!"

Arnold's heart imploded and he let his forehead drop back onto the table, the beads of salt breaking formation and scattering into chaos.

* * *

"Hel-lo! Earth to Arnold!" His eyes focused on Helga's hand waving back and forth before him. "What's your deal?"

Arnold blinked until the burning sensation in his eyes subsided. "Huh?"

"You've been staring into space for so long that I thought we lost you to the spirit world!"

"Sorry, Helga," he shook his head as if that would rid his mind of his troubles. "Whats up?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go to Slausen's with me. I've been missing their banana splits for far too long!"

"Oh uh, I don't— I don't know, Helga," Arnold stammered as he glanced towards the staircase.

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Relax, Little Miss Perfect and I had a chit chat and everything is gravy. We're just friends, football head. Let's go… I'm starving!"

Arnold sighed but headed up towards his room and grumbled, "I'll get my wallet."

"Oh no rush, that's fine. I'm not wasting away or anything."

"I'll be right back, Helga!" Arnold called out.

As he reached the top of the stairs, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Grandma sang.

Arnold entered his room and gathered his wallet and keys as he dialed Lila's number. _Voicemail._ "Hey, babe. Helga and I are going to Slausen's. Call me later. I love you." He paused. "And I'm wearing pants," he added before hanging up.

He closed the door behind him just as Helga yelled, "If you're not down here in sixty seconds, I'm eating your banana split!"

"Oh, Arnold! Can you please give this message to Helga? He said it was urgent," Grandma said as she handed him a message scribbled on a torn piece of paper.

Arnold ran down the stairs without missing a step and landed at Helga's feet. She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with admiration. "Loser," she teased. "What took you so long?"

He held up the message and said with a flourish, "An urgent message for Ms. Helga G. Pataki."

"What's it say?" Helga asked as she pulled a baseball hat over her long, golden hair.

"'Sorry for your loss. Looking forward to our merger. See you soon.'" Arnold read.

Helga's head shot up, her startled eyes open wide, her mouth open in disbelief. "Who is it from?" she whispered.

"Huh. Looks like Grandma didn't get a last name…"

"Who is it from, Arnold?!" She urged.

Her intensity was alarming so he read the name aloud. "It's from Adam."

Helga's eyes closed, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Fuck," she mouthed as she sat on the bottom step next to Abner.

Arnold squatted behind her and put his hand on her shoulder just as soon as she shuddered. "Who's Adam, Helga?" he braced himself for an answer he wasn't sure he was ready for.

"I thought it was over," she murmured, pulling her knees to her chest.

He felt a fifteen year old flood gate burst open, drowning all his previous thoughts in a sea of turmoil. He longed to shelter her from every harm and every rain drop, to catch every tear, to make damn sure that she never drew her knees into her body in despair again. _But I can't_ , he thought as he swallowed the biggest lump in his throat. _So I'll give her the next best thing_.

"Come on. Ice cream's on me."

* * *

"Chocolate Boy told me he saw them putting a white powdery substance into their ice cream AFTER it was already frozen," Helga insisted. "Crack," she whispered as she shoveled a spoonful of vanilla into her mouth.

"Helga, need I remind you that Chocolate Boy was hopped up on sugar for nine tenths of his life at that point. He hallucinated a lot," Arnold laughed.

A waitress passed and gave their table a suspicious side glance. "I told you," Helga mouthed. "Crack."

Arnold shook his head and took his hat off, "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Your head looks so funny without that on," she giggled.

"Well it's a good thing my parents gave it to me, then!" his grin stretching from ear to ear.

Helga swallowed her mouthful. "I wanted to ask… but I wasn't sure if I should," she said.

He stared at her quizzically before reading her expression. "Oh, I found them!" he exclaimed.

She clapped her hands and said, "Oh my God! I'm so excited for you! Did you find them in San Lorenzo?"

Arnold found satisfaction in Helga's inquisition about his parents' whereabouts. _She remembered I was going to find them_. "Yeah, man. It was a crazy experience."

"Spill it, bucko!" She said pointing her spoon at his ice cream dish. "Or the chocolate gets it."

"Well, after finding the map in the back of my dad's journal, my grandparents and I headed to San Lorenzo. It was so surreal to see all the things my dad had written about— it felt like I was following in his footsteps. Anyway, we searched that jungle for four weeks straight. I swear, you don't ever miss indoor plumbing until you have to use leaves for toilet paper."

Arnold laughed as Helga snorted. "None of the landmarks were the same in the map. Every time we would think we knew where we were, BAM! Dead end! Alligators! Mountain range! After four weeks, I was sick of it. I was sick of the green, I was sick of the heat, i was sick of these damn butterflies that kept following me around. My grandparents kept trying to convince me to stay so I stormed off— I wanted to go home. We became separated and night crept its way along until I could barely see two feet in front of me."

Helga was resting her head in her hands, completely taken with Arnold's narrative. Her blue eyes prodded him as if to say, "More."

"And then, a flash of green appeared and fluttered around me. And then another. And another. And then ten more, fifteen more, a hundred more. The same butterflies that I had found revolting just moments before surrounded me in a halo of green fluorescence. As they moved, so did I. I was entranced by their light, by their ability to move like fluid around me absolutely seamlessly. I walked for what seemed like miles, through mud and water until we reached a rickety bridge directly over a canyon. One misstep and I would never be heard from again."

"Where you afraid?"

"No. I trusted in them. I trusted them with every step…"

"And?"

"I fell. On the way down, I was cursing them out! I was like, 'I knew I was right about you!' But no sooner than those thoughts invaded my mind, I had been propelled back in the air. I had fallen on a soft, pillowy surface that bounced me until I lay flat on the ground, surrounded by torches blazing red. A spear lay at my throat and I could hear another language being shouted nearby. The sound of accelerated footsteps finally drew near and I held my breath. If I had to die at nine, this was the way to go!"

"What happened?!"

"Well, I obviously didn't die," he laughed. "But I heard her scream. It's so weird because I didn't have many memories with them at that time, but her voice. It sounded so familiar, like I had heard it all my life. She knew it was me, instantly… she says mothers just know."

"Or maybe she couldn't forget pushing that head out," she said. "No offense."

Arnold laughed. "Anyway, they told me of why they had to stay away. La Sombra, the bandit, was hunting my parents and they feared leading him back to me. They had vowed to work with and live among the Green Eyed people until La Sombra had given up his quest for vengeance. I had somehow stumbled upon their home, tucked away in the most remote part of the jungle, hidden from all those who had never been there before. My parents told me that no outsider had ever been to their forbidden village."

"And you just fell into it?" Helga folded her arms. "I thought this was a non-fiction."

"No, Helga. I was the baby that silenced all of nature as I came into this world. They valued me— i was a part of them," he said. "We're family."

Helga nodded. "So what happened?"

 _Ring. Ring. Ring_. Lila's picture lit up his screen and he sighed as he looked at Helga.

"We can always do chapter two later," she shrugged.

He smiled at her, "Don't worry. This isn't the end."


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you mean?!" Eugene shrieked.

"Im ever so sorry, Eugene. I just can't pass up this opportunity. I've been waiting my entire career for this!" Lila explained.

"But the play is in a week, Lila! How am I supposed to find your replacement?!" Eugene was pacing back and forth on the stage, completely unaware of the chaos of the construction crew.

Lila sighed and looked at Arnold who was seated on the worn and frayed red chair of the front row. "A little help here?"

The couple had committed to playing Romeo and Juliet months ago— the lines had been learned, the costumes had been altered, the programs had been printed so he completely understood Eugene's despair. He placed his elbows on his knees and shook his head. He couldn't help her… he didn't _want_ to help her. This same opportunity that she had been waiting for, he had been dreading. Lila had been offered a job interview in a prestigious hospital in China and had accepted without even considering his feelings. _You didn't need my help making_ that _decision… why do you need it now?_

It was no surprise to him that Lila had bigger aspirations and he was proud of her successes and accomplishments. However, the thought of being so far away from home and his family made him uneasy. He loved the old boarding house with it's creaky staircase and eccentric boarders. He loved that Mr. Green always had the best pork chops waiting for him on Tuesday afternoons. He loved that he had a "usual" at Slausen's and that the Jolly Olly Man would always stop in front of Mrs. Vitello's flower shop at two in the afternoon on Saturdays. And now she was willing to leave it all behind for a place that doesn't even _have_ a Jolly Olly Man! _How the hell am I supposed to get a Mr. Fudgie pop in China?!_

Lila groaned and threw her hands up in frustration. "Eugene, I'll help you find my replacement! What about Rhonda?"

"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd is far too busy for the likes of our small town Romeo & Juliet production," Eugene said.

"Actually, it's Gates," Arnold replied.

"What?"

"Her last name… she got married again so her last name is Gates," Arnold shrugged.

"Not helping, babe," Lila scolded.

Eugene let out a yelp, "I'll be ruined. I'll be the laughingstock of Hillwood for as long as I'm alive!"

"Actually, Eugene.." Arnold started.

"ARNOLD!" Lila glared at him and mouthed "Stop it."

 _ **What's up, man?**_

 **Nothing. At the theater bc Eugene is freaking out over this Romeo & Juliet thing.**

 _ **Bummer. So she's really going, huh?**_

 **Apparently. I just don't get how she knew about it for a month but just told me today.**

 _ **That's rough, dude. So what are you gonna do?**_

 **What do you mean?**

 _ **I mean... is there still going to be a winter wedding?**_

 **Gerald... I love her.**

Arnold sank back into his seat and pulled out his phone, tuning their conversation out as he started to text Gerald.

"Babe!" Arnold lifted his gaze from his phone in the direction of Lila's voice.

"Huh?"

"Let's go. I told Eugene we'd pick my replacement over lunch," she said.

Arnold gathered his things as his phone vibrated in his hand.

 _ **You didn't answer the question, bro.**_

* * *

"What about Sheena?"

"Sheena's playing Juliet's Nurse," Eugene said shoving a forkful of chicken potpie in his mouth.

"Perhaps Phoebe will do it?"

"Phoebe said after our rendition of My Fair Lady, she would never trust my artistic vision ever again," Eugene groaned.

Arnold grinned at the memory of Phoebe on stage with a cockney accent. Having to speak with horrible grammatical errors definitely caused Phoebe to have a meltdown— she was far too intelligent to dumb herself down for long. He glanced at his phone as a text message from Helga caused the table to vibrate.

It was a picture of his last yogurt cup in the boarding house refrigerator, complete with his name written across the front. "Can I have this?" the text read. _How is she always hungry but so in shape?_ Arnold chuckled to himself.

"Who is that?" Lila asked.

"Huh? Oh, its uh, it's Helga. She wanted my yogurt cup. See? She sent me a picture," he laughed.

"Wait. A. Second." Eugene clapped his hands with every syllable. "That is amazing!"

"It's just a picture of a yogurt, Eugene," Arnold said wearily.

"No, Arnold! Helga!"

"Helga? What about Helga?" Lila asked.

"Didn't Helga play your Juliet in the fourth grade?" Eugene said, ignoring Lila.

"She wasn't _my_ Juliet—"

"I knew it! And that was the best play Mr. Simmons had ever put on! It's still being talked about in the local theater community!" Eugene gushed. "Can you imagine the amount of support we'd get if I directed a fifteen year reunion of the most iconic Romeo & Juliet in Hillwood history?!" His voice got higher and higher as he grew more excited.

"I don't know if she'll do it," Arnold stammered.

"Well there's only one way to know for sure! Let's go!" Eugene pushed his chair back with so much force that he fell over onto his back. "I'm okay!"

Lila helped Eugene back into his chair before saying, "Eugene, I'm just not sure if Helga is the girl for your play."

Eugene sighed. "Lila, this production can be the highlight of my career or the bane of my existence. I thought I had found the perfect couple when you both agreed, and you are obviously my first choice. We've exhausted all our options, Lila. If Helga doesn't play Juliet, I may as well just go back to folding shirts at the Gap."

Lila blinked at Eugene before focusing her gaze on Arnold. Arnold shrugged at her and looked away as if to say, _It's your decision._ "Okay, Eugene. There's no harm in asking."

Eugene's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Let's just hope that you guys can replicate that kiss, huh, Arnold?!"

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Helga raised her eyebrow at Eugene. "Your play is in eight days and you want me to learn all those lines in time for your grand opening?"

"Oh, please, Helga! I'll do anything! Anything!"

"Ehh no, thanks. I haven't been on stage since we were nine. And after locking lips with football head here, I've been traumatized for life."

Arnold rolled his eyes. _That's not what your diary said_.

"I'll pay you!" Eugene offered.

"Well, that's a start," Helga mused. "What else do I get?"

"You'll get your own dressing room."

"Naturally," she said.

"You can have your own assistant."

"Sweet! What else?"

"Uh, you can keep all your costumes!"

"Oooh because I can use old English garbs every single day of my life! It's a dream come true!" she clasped her hands together and fluttered her eyelashes. "Not," she scowled. "No, deal."

Helga rose to her feet and headed out of the kitchen as Eugene looked at Arnold helplessly. Arnold let out a heavy sigh. "Helga, come on."

She spun around to face them and lowered her eyes. "My mother always told me that if you are good at something, never do it for less than what you deserve."

Arnold cleared his throat and looked at Helga thoughtfully. "There's free food at every rehearsal," he said. He noticed the sparkle in her eyes and a smile of satisfaction creep across her lips.

"What kind of food?"

"It's fully catered. And we have so many restaurant sponsors that give the cast free meals whenever we want," Arnold said matter of factly. He crossed his arms in triumph and leaned back in his chair.

Helga straightened up and swallowed hard. "Well, we'd need to iron out all the details, but I don't see why this arrangement can't benefit all of us."

Eugene leapt up and wrapped his arms around Helga's tall frame. "Oh, thank you, Helga! Thank you so much!"

"Two things, Eugene."

"What, Helga? Anything!"

"One, don't touch me." Eugene released his grip and stepped back, his face flushed with embarrassment. "And two, what restaurants can we eat at? I'm starving."


	7. Chapter 7

"If you say 'cut' ONE MORE TIME…" Helga was seething onstage.

"I'm sorry, Helga, but as the director I take this play very seriously!" Eugene cried. "And if you don't share that vision, then well—"

Helga raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at the slight man before her, daring him to complete his threat. He hesitated and her fists unclenched but a scowl stayed painted on her face. "Can we take five?" she asked as she plopped down crossed legged on the stage.

Eugene sighed and turned to face Arnold in exasperation. "Help?" he managed to squeak out. Arnold had been the buffer between Eugene's artistic direction and Helga's general unwillingness to follow said direction.

"Helga, come on. I've had a really long day so can we just get through this scene so we can go home?"

"I just need to take five, football head… I'm starving!"

"YOU JUST HAD DINNER A HALF HOUR AGO!" Eugene wailed.

"Yeah, & I've been on this stupid stage since then sweating all the sustenance out under these stupid lights. I swear to the universe, I'm ten seconds away from absolutely losing my shit, Eugene. Keep it up!" Helga rose and stomped her way off stage, muttering under her breath all the while.

"What does she mean? This isn't losing her shit? It can get worse?" Eugene frantically whispered to Arnold. "I know I said I wanted her to play Juliet but we may need to just cut our losses and I can go back to the Gap its no big deal I mean I made a decent living there I'll just have to survive on instant ramen for a while but now there's so many flavors—" he rambled and began to hyperventilate.

"Eugene. I need you to breathe, bro. Inhale… exhale… just like you learned in therapy, remember? Don't worry about Helga or the play. In fact, go home. We'll rehearse on our own tonight. Just leave the keys with my stuff in the front row and we'll lock up," Arnold said.

Arnold shook his head in pity as he watched Eugene half stumble and half run down the aisles and slam face-first into the theater doors. "I'm okay!"

* * *

Arnold found Helga in her dressing room, rummaging through drawers and cabinets in a frenzy. "Whoa… what's going on in here?"

"What's going on, bucko, is that there is no suitable food in this entire theater. I'm not kidding. The vending machines are empty and the only thing I found that even remotely resembles food is a package of airplane peanuts that expired during the Bush administration… the FIRST Bush!"

He stifled a laugh as she opened the package, her horrified expression turning into disgust as little petrified pellets hit the ground.

Helga looked at him and fought back her own laughter. "It's not funny, Arnold! You said the rehearsals were fully catered!"

"They are! The entire cast had dinner, Helga, you were there. But the caterers packed up since it was just you, me & Eugene left…" his voice trailed off.

"Where is he, anyway?"

"He left, Helga. He damn near had a nervous breakdown," Arnold frowned at the memory of Eugene's hasty exit.

"Shit. I'm sorry… I'm—there isn't an excuse. I wish there was something I can do to make it up to him."

"I think it would mean a lot to him if we rehearsed this scene until we nail it down. I'm willing to do stay back and rehearse with you even after everyone has gone home, Helga."

She paused and stared at him, her eyes searching his for signs of an ulterior motive. "Why?" she finally asked.

"Because Eugene has had a really rough year."

Helga snorted. "He's a jinx… he's had a hard _life_!"

Arnold sighed. "It was more than that, though. You know he had dreams of owning this theater since we were kids. He worked for years, saving up every single cent so he could achieve his dream. He finally did it last year, put on his first show, fell in love with the lead actor. Things were finally looking up for him and I had never seen him so happy."

"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Helga replied.

"On the night of his premiere, the theater was packed. I was in the audience when the lights dimmed and the curtains rose… but the stage was empty. We were all confused… & that's when I heard it. The saddest, most heartbreaking scream I've ever heard. It turns out, the lead actor was a scam artist that had run off with the box office profits for the night. Eugene had to sell his house and move back in with his parents, because he refuses to give up on his dream. He deserves one good thing & if I can give it to him, I will."

Helga nodded before standing. "You're such a sap, Arnoldo," she teased.

"I just wanna make my friends happy," he smiled. "Speaking of which, there's some cookies in my bag if you want 'em."

* * *

"Then, window, let day in and let life out," Helga whispered.

"Farewell, farewell! One kiss, and I'll descend," Arnold murmured back. He held his position as close to Helga as possible without melting into the luscious scent of mangoes radiating from her hair.

"Uhmmm. And then you're supposed to climb down," she said as she took a step back.

He nodded and swallowed hard. "You're—you're doing a really great job."

"Right back at ya, babe," Helga replied nonchalantly. "And since we've gotten so much accomplished, can we _finally_ call it a night?"

"Absolutely!" Arnold did a backflip off the stage and landed with a flourish and a bow.

"Show off!"

"That's what losers say when they can't live up to the standard," he teased.

Helga feigned shock before running at full speed to attempt a backflip of her own. Helga's ankle twisted under her when she landed and she let out a yelp and clenched her eyes shut.

"Helga! Fuck! Can you stand?"

She bit her lip and shook her head hard. He could see tears escaping the corners of her eyes as she threw her head back in agony.

"Okay. Okay. Oh… kay. Uh—get on my back."

Her eyes sprung open. "What?"

"I'll carry you to the bus stop," he explained.

"It's after 10, Arnold. There aren't any more buses in this area."

He looked at his watch and realized she was right. "Then… I'll carry you home," he said.

Helga's mouth fell open and she momentarily forgot the pain in her swelling ankle. "That's almost twenty blocks, dude!"

"Don't feel bad, Helga. You wouldn't be hurt if I didn't try to show off," Arnold reasoned.

"Oh, I don't feel bad. I just don't think you can carry me for twenty blocks!"

"Kiss my ass, Pataki!" He laughed. "Do you want a ride or not?"

She reluctantly agreed and fit the straps of Arnold's backpack over her shoulders as she hobbled to her feet. He bent his knees slightly, making it easier for Helga to position herself on his back while he intertwined his arms with her legs on either side.

"Comfortable? Here we go," he said as he straightened his legs. He started down the aisles toward the back of the theater, stopping only briefly to turn the lights off and lock the doors. Helga's arms were draped loosely around Arnold's shoulders while he walked in silence for a while. "You good?" asked Arnold after feeling her shift a few times on her back.

"Yeah, sorry. I tried to get the rest of the cookies out of my pocket but now my ass is sliding down your back," she explained.

Instinctively, Arnold leaned forward and reached behind to lift Helga to a more comfortable position.

"Whoa, sailor. Buy a girl dinner before grabbing some ass, why don't you!"

"You're eating my cookies!"

"Oh, yeah… want some?"

"Some ass or some cookies?"

"You already got a handful of ass so how about a cookie?"

He straightened up and started walking again. "Cookie, it is!"

Helga alternated between feeding Arnold and herself bites of chocolate chip cookies as they made their way back to the boarding house.

"You're surprisingly light for someone that eats all day," he mused.

"I only eat when I'm nervous," she giggled.

"You eat around _me_ a lot."

"Yeah, well…"

"Do I make you nervous?"

"Kinda."

"Kinda?" _Ringgggg. Ringggggg. Ringggggg._ Arnold hastily pulled his phone from his pocket and saw Lila's name flash on the screen. It was 10am in China and he hadn't heard from her since she said she would call him back two days ago. He stared at the screen until it stopped ringing,  & it was then he heard Helga exhale. "Helga?"

"I see the boarding house! Full speed ahead!"


	8. Chapter 8

Once inside the boarding house, Arnold carefully made his way up both sets of stairs with Helga clinging onto him so tightly he feared losing consciousness. "Geez, Helga, can you squeeze any tighter?"

"I'm a koala bear!" she laughed.

"Vicious ass koala bear," he muttered.

"Hey!" Helga slapped his shoulder. "I'll have you know I am now a refined lady, complete with manners and all," she replied in a fake British accent.

They stood just inside the doorway at the room at the top of the stairs for a moment before Arnold playfully collapsed on the floor, taking Helga down with him. "I think you were right, Pataki. Twenty blocks with you on my back was tougher than that marathon I completed last year!"

"I hate you," she replied rolling over to sit on the floor next to him. She rolled up the left leg of her yoga pants revealing the swollen mass that once was an ankle. "It's a cankle," she whined.

"It's not a cankle. It's injured, you weirdo," Arnold rose and headed for the door. "Before you say anything sarcastic, I'm going to get you an icepack and my compression wrap for that cankle," he turned around in time to watch her lips close and the corners turn upwards into a smile. "I'll be right back."

Arnold descended the attic stairs, the only light in the hall emerging from Helga's open door. He counted his steps in the dark until he reached the suite that he shared with Lila. The light inside of the suite hurt his eyes for a moment as he crossed the silent room. He rummaged through his sock drawer, looking for the black compression wrap that Lila had gotten for him when he had suffered particularly nasty sprain after completing last year's marathon. _Lila_.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at her missed call notification. It had been a long two days since he heard from his fiancé and he was mad enough to forget his honor and flirt with the one person that Lila was threatened by. He knew he was wrong and hanging out with Helga was only prolonging the inevitable fight he was sure to face.

Desire to see Lila's face overtook him and he decided to FaceTime her. The beat of his heart sounded louder than the ringing of his phone, as he waited for her to answer. She appeared on his screen, red hair blazing in the sun and a smile unlike any he had ever seen on her face before. _She looks so happy_ , he thought.

"Babe! I miss you," she cooed.

"Hey, you. It's been a while," Arnold tried not to sound bitter, smiling a little back at her.

"I tried calling you earlier…" She began to explain then lowered her voice to say, "I'm not in a place where I could talk about this freely."

Arnold closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. _We haven't spoken in two days and we still can't speak freely? Is she serious?_

"I was with Helga," he said through clenched teeth. He heard laughter and chattering on her end of the line, but kept his eyes shut.

"What did you say?"

Arnold rubbed his eyes and opened them. "I… was with _Helga_ ," he stated matter-of-factly.

"You've got to be shitting me."

"Can you speak freely now?" he challenged.

* * *

"I asked you to stay away from her, Arnold!" Lila's usually high-pitched voice had now reached an octave that dog whistles would be jealous of.

"And I asked you to call me every day while you were gone… I guess we're both breaking promises, Lila," Arnold retorted.

"That is SO different than—"

"Yeah, it is different. You asked me to stay away from a person that lives in the same house as I do and plays my romantic partner in a play you signed us up for without even asking me," he counted off each point on his fingers. "All I asked of you was a five-minute phone call a day… that's all."

"Arnold, I'm trying to get this fellowship! I'm meeting new people every day. Timothy says that I have to cultivate relationships with as many people as I can in order to get this fellowship!"

"Who the hell is Timothy?"

"He's… my advisor from Hillwood General," Lila cast her eyes downward.

"Timothy Locklear?" Arnold searched his mind for any mention of Lila traveling with someone else, but found none. She sure as hell never mentioned Dr. Timothy Locklear, who had taken a special interest in Lila's career when he came to town earlier in the year.

Lila tried to appease him when she saw his irritation. "Babe," she sighed. "I already told you there is nothing to worry about."

"I said the same thing about Helga yet I was still ordered to stay away from her. At least I told you the truth, Lila. You—" he let out a dry laugh. "You have been hiding shit from me for a long time. I'm gonna go before I say something I can't take back."

"Oh… goodnight, baby," she said sadly.

Arnold looked at her one last time. "I never said I was going to bed," he said before turning his phone off for the night. He sulked over to the kitchenette to retrieve an icepack from the freezer, lost in his thoughts. _Why didn't she tell me about the doctor coming with her?_

The blast of cold from the freezer felt nice on his flushed face. Arnold spotted a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the corner of the icebox and smiled. He grabbed the pint and a spoon on his way out of the suite, shutting the door on the ugliest part of the night.

* * *

Arnold knocked on the door lightly. "Are you decent?" he asked

"Never," Helga called back. "But I'm dressed if that's what you mean."

He pushed the door open and grinned to see Helga in pigtails and pajamas. "Wow… now that's a sight for sore eyes."

"Oh? I'm surprised your eyes are sore at all after looking at Little Miss Perfect for years," she countered.

The reference to Lila stabbed at his heart a bit, but the cold burn of the ice cream pint in his hands kept him tethered to the actuality at hand. "If you keep using your mouth to tease me, then I guess you'll won't need ice cream!" Helga straightened up at the mention of food and eyed Arnold's hands as they dangled the pint in front of her. "Say you're sorry," he lilted.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Arnold tossed the pint at her as he approached the bed she sat on. "Am I supposed to eat ice cream with my hands?" He pulled the spoon from his pocket and placed it on her nose as he sat on the floor below her. In one fluid motion, the lid flew off and the spoon dug into the pint of Cookie Dough.

Arnold took her ankle in his hands and positioned the ice pack on the swollen parts. He had an unobstructed view of her legs, in all their beauty. They were long and tan and smooth, despite the little blonde hairs that had just begun to grow. His train of thought was interrupted by Helga's squirming.

"Hold still," he said.

"Can't," she said as she shoved another spoonful in her mouth. "This is my happy dance!"

He looked up to see her shifting in her seat and swaying her head from side to side until her hair came loose and cascaded over her shoulders. Her happy dance was mesmerizing and adorable all at the same time, and he never wanted it to end.

"Want some?" she held out the spoon towards him.

"In a minute. I've gotta put this compression wrap on your ankle." Arnold lifted her leg onto his knee and began to place the wrap snugly on her ankle. He left his hands on her legs for a moment longer than required, letting their warmth radiate upwards into his palms. He cleared his throat and moved onto the bed beside Helga.

"What's wrong, football head?"

Arnold raised his eyes to meet hers and shook his head. "Lila," his voice was heavy with gloom. "I feel like I'm losing her, Helga. It's like I'm watching it happen in slow motion while I'm running at full speed trying to keep her from slipping further away."

Helga moved closer to Arnold, the scent of mangoes permeating his personal space.

"Even worse, I feel like I'm trying so hard because I'm supposed to." Arnold stared at his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"I asked her to be my wife & everything I'm doing is in honor of that. But there's got to be more to life than just honoring a promise. She deserves better than my fidelity... & I deserve to want more," his eyes lifted to meet the intense blue oceans of hers.

"Like what?"

"Intensity, passion, desire," Arnold said softly as magnetism pulled them closer until only an inch remained between them.

"I think you should go, Arnold," whispered Helga.

"Helga…" Arnold breathed her name like it was the only oxygen he'd ever need.

"There's nothing you want here."


	9. Chapter 9

_SLAM!_ Arnold rushed to his door and hastily fixed his eye over the peephole to investigate the source of the noise. "Ernie," he said bitterly as he pushed away from the dull, muted brown wood. He kicked at the leg of a chair in the kitchenette and collapsed back into the same position he had been in since he had managed to roll out of bed two hours ago. His stomach had been in knots all night remembering the humiliating walk of shame that followed his reckless attempt at physical contact. He groaned in agony once again at the flashback of Helga telling him to leave. They had not spoken since.

His phone rang out, piercing through the oddly silent morning. He raced toward his bedside table and lunged at his phone, hoping that it was Helga and that he would have a chance to convince her that—that—well, he wasn't sure what he was going to say just yet. _I'll cross that bridge when I get there,_ he thought.

Arnold's hopes were dashed when he saw Lila's incoming call. He had been ignoring the gnawing thought at the back of his mind that he owed another explanation to another woman. _Lila_. The guilt was too much for his usual moral decency and his brain threatened to implode if he thought about everything all at once, so he ignored Lila's call.

A knock sounded at the door and Arnold scrambled to reach it faster than the speed of light. His feet became entangled by the blankets that remained strewn across his bed and he tumbled onto the floor with a resounding crash. Another knock came, this time more urgent. Arnold limped to the door and thrust it open with all the tension of the morning forced into it.

A sudden stream of air invaded the room, carrying with it the distinctive sweetness of mangoes. Arnold's eyes adjusted to the light in the hallway, but he knew who was standing before him.

"You look like shit, bro!" came a familiar raspy voice.

"Gerald?" Arnold's vision finally focused on his best friend, standing alone in the hall.

"Who were you expecting?"

"I just…" Arnold glanced toward the attic stairs.

Gerald's gaze followed Arnold's. "Helga? I just passed her on the stairs. She was tiptoeing outta here like a ninja assassin," he laughed. "Are you ready?"

Arnold stared at him blankly.

"We're meeting the guys to get fitted for the wedding tuxedos," said Gerald slowly.

"Right. Let me get my wallet."

"Yeah okay. Get your life together, too. You've been losing it lately!"

 _If you only knew._

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know the wedding colors?" The tailor huffed. The wrinkles on his forehead betrayed his annoyance as well as his age as he peered at Arnold from behind a pair of thick, horn-rimmed spectacles. "How are you going to order tuxedos, eh?" His voice was laden with an Italian accent that made understanding him just a tad bit difficult.

"Well, can't we just get our measurements down and I'll call you with the rest of the information—"

"No, no, no. You first pick colors, then I show you styles, THEN I do measurements," came the reply. "Haven't you ever done this before?"

"Considering this is going to be my first marriage, no, I haven't ever done this before." Lack of sleep had made Arnold irritable and blood began rushing to his face, the heat turning into anger.

"All right, Mr. Moretti. Give us just a minute, okay?" Gerald physically stepped between the two men in an attempt to diffuse the animosity. Mr. Moretti nodded once and retreated to the back of the shop. Gerald turned his attention to his best friend, "Dude… what the hell was that?"

"He's making me feel like a jackass because I don't know the wedding colors!"

Gerald made the time-out symbol with his hands. "You're at a ten, bro. Can you bring it down to a four? I've never seen you get so hyped over words. Anyway, why don't you just call Lila?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Harold asked from a corner of the small shop. "While you have her on the phone, ask her if we can wear top hats!" He pulled a top hat from a mannequin and tried to pull it on.

"You'll need a custom made top hat for your fat head," Sid cackled.

"Shut up, Sid. I can still beat your ass if I have to," Harold waved his fist and took a menacing step towards his friend.

"Both of you shut up," Gerald rolled his eyes. "Occupy yourselves while we deal with adult things."

"Let's just go, Gerald," Arnold said as he placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Or we can call Lila."

"I can't, bro."

"Fine, I'll call her," Gerald retorted while digging his phone out of his pocket.

"No!" Both Arnold and Gerald's eyes widened at the sudden raise in volume. "I'll do it," conceded Arnold. He turned the knob and stepped out into the warmth of the sun's rays. He held his phone in his hand, idling on the page that displayed Lila's contact information before beginning the call. It took a moment for the call to connect but when it did, the shrill ringing echoed in his ears.

"Hello?" A sleepy, unfamiliar voice startled Arnold so much he had to reexamine his phone to ensure he had indeed called the right contact… and he had.

"Who the fuck is this?" Arnold replied breathlessly. He could hear shuffling over the phone along with muted voices of distress. "WHO THE FUCK IS THIS!" He snarled into the phone. People on the street turned to look at him but he didn't care.

"Baby! Baby, please. I was using Timothy's charger. Please don't be angry," Lila pleaded over the receiver.

When hot tears sprang to his eyes and spilled onto his cheeks, Arnold wiped them away ferociously. "What time is it?" He held his breath during her silence.

"It's… it's 1 a.m."

Arnold's breath shuddered. "Why are you with _him_ at 1 in the morning?"

"Baby…" she began to cry. "I promise you…"

"I gotta go," he whispered as he ended the call and turned his phone off.

"So? What'd Lila say?" Gerald asked absentmindedly when Arnold reentered the shop. Gerald's phone began ringing, interrupting the silence.

"Turn it off, Gerald. I'm calling for an emergency lost weekend. Effective immediately."

* * *

House music blasted into the night surrounding the crowd-packed club that the four friends approached. The line of people jeered as the four made their way to the front doors and were let in immediately, thanks to Gerald's connections. They stepped into the building, following neon blue and purple lights until the dancefloor and bar were in sight. Arnold approached the bar unaware if Harold, Sid, or Gerald were following him.

"What can I get you, sweetie?" The bartender's short, green hair and tiger tattoo on her neck caught Arnold's attention.

"I want to forget," Arnold answered.

She smirked, "I got you." Arnold watched her move behind the bar, pouring the contents of different bottles into a cocktail shaker.

"Hey man! I got us bottle service at a VIP booth," Gerald boasted as the bartender handed Arnold a glass. The smell of alcohol permeated the air immediately, causing Gerald to cough. "Uhh excuse me, babe," he addressed the bartender. "What's in this?"

"Something to make your friend forget," she said innocently. Arnold raised the glass in her direction & downed it all at once. The burn on the way down wasn't nearly as bad as the dry heaving that occurred as soon as the drink reached his stomach. The bartender laughed, "Don't ask me for another one… I don't remember what I put in it!"

Gerald led the group past the velvet VIP ropes guarded by a bouncer that had biceps bigger than a small child. Their section lined one side of the DJ booth and had white curtains that could be pulled around for more privacy. White cushioned couches surrounded a table adorned with several ice buckets, all containing different bottles of liquor. Arnold popped open a bottle of tequila and began pouring shots for the group.

"Should we toast?" Sid asked.

Arnold nodded and raised his shot glass. "Fuck Lila," he said before tilting his head back and swallowing a mouthful of tequila. His friends remained silent but drank their drinks in unison. Arnold poured more shots for his friends and himself, not taking any more time to toast. They drank shot after shot, until half the bottle was gone and their legs became too wobbly to stand on.

"I know it's a lost weekend, but can I at least call my wife to let her know I'm okay?" Gerald asked.

"Oooh, I'm Gerald. I'm married and my wife has such a tight hold on me that I can't even have a lost weekend with my friends!" Harold mocked him.

Gerald stuck a middle finger up in Harold's direction while Arnold laughed heartily and said, "Sorry, bro. You wrote the lost weekend rules!"

"You can only speak to people you physically see while out during a lost weekend!" Arnold, Sid, and Harold shouted aloud.

Two waitresses carried trays of greasy finger food to their booth, the smell of which upset Arnold's stomach. He staggered to his feet and walked back towards the bar to escape the smell of salt and grease. The green-haired bartender looked at him with concern. "You okay, sweetie?"

"I need something to eat that's not greasy!" he yelled over the booming bass emerging from the DJ booth.

"Sweetie, all we got is greasy food," she shook her head.

"No, no," he shook his head. The room spun and Arnold put his head on the bar to keep steady while he took a few deep breaths. "I need mangoes," he whined. "I know you have them! I can smell them!"

"Football head?"

Arnold turned to the right, still resting his head on the bar counter. Excitement coursed through his veins upon seeing her face. Her blonde hair glowed under the neon lights, illuminating her face and deepening the blue of her eyes. "My God, you are beautiful," he smiled.

"Okay, drunky, let's go," Helga said as she rolled her eyes.

"No. I don't want to stop looking at you. Not even for a second."


	10. Chapter 10

"What are _you_ doing here?" Harold cried out.

"Nice to see you too, pink boy," came Helga's reply coupled with an eye roll. "I needed a girl's night so Pheebs brought us here. It's a good thing, too, you three obviously can't be trusted to keep your friend out of trouble!"

"I wasn't in trouble," Arnold raised his hand in protest. He was sprawled out on one couch, his head propped up on Helga's lap. "Your skin is so smooth," he said.

"See? He's fine!" Gerald said as he wrapped an arm around Phoebe's shoulders.

Phoebe eyed the almost-empty bottle of tequila then turned her attention to her husband. "Gerald, drinking copious amounts of alcohol probably isn't in Arnold's best interest right now. All he's doing is dulling his senses and assaulting his liver," she said.

"Hey, maybe football head has the right idea!" Helga thought aloud.

"I have excellent ideas!" Arnold proudly stated. "Starting with tequila all around!" The table erupted in cheers. Helga reached forward to pour tequila into eight shot glasses, her long hair tickling Arnold's upturned face. He inhaled deeply, letting the sweetness fill his lungs and awaken the senses that Phoebe said were dullened. Helga passed out the glasses to Harold, Rhonda, Gerald, Phoebe, Sid, and Eugene. "Where's mine!" Arnold shouted

"You have to sit up to drink. Doy!" Helga shouted back over the music.

Arnold begrudgingly obliged. His head felt heavy and he had to devote 100% of his focus to keeping it from drooping every few seconds. Helga passed him a glass and picked hers up as well. "To PS 118!" Arnold said as he thrusted his glass in the air.

"PS 118!" came the resounding roar. Their heads were thrown back and their tequila demolished in a fraction of a second. Rhonda, Phoebe, & Eugene coughed until their eyes were red and tears were at the brink of falling.

"Don't worry, guys," Gerald managed to say mid-hiccup. "It starts tasting like water after a while."

"That's what my mom used to say," Helga said. The morbidity of her joke was not lost on the group, and silence befell them as she poured another round of shots. "To Miriam," she charged.

"To Miriam," the group chanted back.

Arnold watched Helga while they drank in honor of her mother. The usual bright blue of her eyes held a sadness that almost reflected gray. She tucked her long, straight hair behind her ears and glanced around nervously to ensure no eyes were on her. When she caught Arnold staring, he glanced away quickly in embarrassment. _You already made a fool of yourself last night, Arnold. Chill out._

"Arnold," Helga called. He raised his eyes to meet hers. "You still know how to dance?"

"Si, my fair señorita," he said. _So much for chilling out, Casanova._

* * *

The pulsing lights overhead were almost enough to convince Arnold that he was having a seizure. Purples, blues, reds, and greens bathed swarming bodies on the dance floor. Arnold kept his eyes fixated on Helga while she navigated a path to the center of the crowd, holding his hand all the while. He watched as every single person they passed turned to marvel at her first then shifted their gaze to one of envy towards him.

Helga was dressed in a simple black dress, but the way it fit her physique was anything but simple. Arnold could see the tan skin of her back beneath the mesh fabric and the way the material hugged her thighs made him wonder if it was painted on. She turned to peer at him over her shoulder and smiled when she saw complete awe written all over his face.

Arnold tugged on her hand gently, forcing her to face him in all her beautiful glory. He pulled again and Helga followed, closing the gap between their bodies. They stood pressed against each other for a moment and Arnold finally realized that she was almost a full foot shorter than he was. He led her arms up around his neck then dropped his to rest loosely on her waist. All at once, they began to sway together and Arnold's grip tightened slightly around Helga.

A low groan escaped her parted lips while she tilted her head back, never breaking her gaze from Arnold's. Her hands dropped slowly from around his neck and rested on his chest. His hands began to travel further down her back, stopping every inch until he felt her smooth curves fill his palms. Helga bit her lip and pushed off from Arnold's chest with a chuckle. She turned her back to him and swayed by herself to the music, lifting her arms in the air exposing her silhouette.

Liquid courage allowed Arnold act on his impulse and he placed a hand on her hip and stepped forward to press against her backside. Once again, her head tilted back and she laughed. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Our song wasn't over," her murmured into her ear. Arnold felt her shudder in his arms which excited him on a level he didn't even know existed before. "Dance with me," he demanded. Helga came alive as her body rocked and rolled in time to the music. Arnold's body responded by moving against Helga's, slowly at first until urgency took over their actions.

Helga's hands found their way to the base of Arnold's neck and she stroked him there, sending impulses to every nerve in his body. She continued to dance, her body moving in primal ecstasy as his fingers slowly drummed at her hip bones. A moan came from her mouth this time, her breath quickening as Arnold's hands moved further south toward the hem of her dress.

When she turned her head to one side, she was met by Arnold's biceps and couldn't stop herself from running her lips on his flesh. It was Arnold's turn to groan as it was all he could do to keep from getting even more hard than he already was. She pulled away and turned to face him, her chest heaving with every breath. _You went too far again, Arnold._

"Helga—" Arnold's arms were open as he prepared himself to apologize.

She pushed into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Do it," she urged.

One arm closed around her while the other rested under her chin, lifting her face to meet his. Her lips were soft but her kiss was hungry for more and Arnold obliged. His head was swimming amid the thundering music coursing through the throngs of bodies. He felt the vibration of her moans as he kissed her greedily on the dance floor. When they pulled away, he smiled at her and kissed her once more on the forehead.

 _Perfection._

* * *

Most of their friends were still amid the crowd on the dance floor when Helga and Arnold resumed their position in the booth. While there was still undoubtedly some alcohol left in their systems, the kiss they shared had sobered them up as evidenced by their obvious tension. They sat on opposite couches but Helga avoided eye contact, choosing instead to rearrange the contents of the table. Arnold watched as she stacked the shot glasses and placed the liquor bottles back into ice buckets.

"You good?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but who ate the wings and left the bones on the table? I bet it was pink boy," she muttered.

"That's not what I was asking, but okay…"

"I feel really exposed, okay? I just made out with an engaged guy on a dancefloor surrounded by people and now I feel like everyone is looking at us," she explained.

Arnold nodded and got to his feet. "First of all, Helga, that crowd down there didn't notice anything. The world only stopped for you and me," he said as he tugged one side of the curtains closed. "Second of all, these curtains are here for a reason." He moved to pull another curtain closed. "And… My engagement ring is off," he said as he closed the curtain closest to Helga. "It's off because my engagement is off."

Helga blinked at him in confusion. The white curtains filtered the neon lights, casting a haunting glow on everything in the booth. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, if you really want to know. Tonight, can it just be about us? I've waited fifteen years to kiss you like that, Helga. I don't want to spoil it."

Red flooded to Helga's cheeks and she cast her eyes downward. "I've waited twenty, football head."

He smiled and placed a hand on hers. "Your little pink diary told me all about it!"

"What!" Her eyes shot up in alarm.

"Oh yeah! I know all about your poetry and your Arnold shrine… you loved me," he teased her.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Shut up!" she swatted at him until he stopped laughing. "See, this is why I never told you!"

"I must have read your diary a thousand times while you were gone," he confessed. "I took it with me to San Lorenzo so it was almost like you were along for the ride." He stroked her cheek while she grinned.

"I wasn't all bad, huh?"

"No, you were a pain in the ass! But you explained a lot in your diary and I began to understand you a little better. Understanding you made me want to talk to you so I tried to track you down."

"Yeah? What happened then?" Helga leaned into Arnold's arms and gazed up at him.

"I thought I got close once around the time Phoebe and Gerald were getting married. But the Helga P. I found turned out to be Helga _Parsons_ ," he laughed as Helga sat up. "And she was married to a guy named—" Arnold's voice trailed off.

"Adam. His name was Adam," she said.

"They guy who left a message," he connected the dots. "What happened in California, Helga?"

She sighed and turned to him with tears in her eyes. "He put me through hell… and I called it love."


	11. Chapter 11

Arnold set a mug down in front of Helga and walked slowly to the opposite end of the kitchen table. Her eyes stayed fixated on the mug and the rising steam that disappeared a few inches above. The entire cab ride home was silent, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. _Married?!_ He cleared his throat.

"I know, okay? I'm trying to find the best place to start my story," she said.

"You could try the beginning," he shrugged. "Always works for me."

"Smart ass," she smirked. "Okay. When I left Hillwood, I was angry. My dad sent me first to Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, but I got kicked out for hitting my roommate because she snored so fucking loudly. Then I got sent to St. Paul's School when I was eleven, where I was also kicked out for sewing a bag of dog crap into my English teacher's mattress… it took her weeks to find where the smell was coming from," she smiled at the memory.

"Helga!"

"What? Oh, she deserved it. She would hit our hands with a ruler every time we used the word 'um' during a presentation. Anyway, my dad sent me to California to the Thacher School when I was fourteen… and I hated it," she made a face.

"Sounds like you hated everything."

"Yeah, well, remember what I was like at 9? It was so much worse going through puberty! But my mom flew down to California to get me settled and she said 'I know it's hard, but your dad and I _really_ need this time alone to fix everything that's broken. If you could find one thing, just one, that you enjoy here—focus on that  & everything else will fall into place." Helga swirled the teabag around in her mug thoughtfully. "I felt really selfish then because I had only seen boarding schools as a punishment… but my parents really needed this."

"So… Adam?"

"Right… Adam. The thing I found that I enjoyed in California was actually a horse. Every spare minute I had, I was down at the stable brushing her, feeding her, talking to her… but I didn't ride her. There was always a boy in the stables when I was there, cleaning out the stalls or riding the horses. He would always try to talk to me and none of my mean tricks kept him away… it was annoying, really. I just wanted him to go away so I could talk to my horse!" She paused to take a sip of her tea.

"Was it him?"

Helga nodded. "It was a bad day, I can't even remember why anymore. I know it was raining because I was soaked by the time I got to the stables. And there he was… brushing MY horse. I was livid. I shouted at him and cursed at him, hurling insult after insult. He rushed towards me and kissed me, and I tried to fight it but I just melted. He taught me how to ride a horse, we spent holidays together checked into lousy motels, we saw movies and free concerts… we'd sneak out to the stables at midnight. I was…"

"I get it, Helga," Arnold interrupted. "You were in love with him."

"Yeah, Arnold. I was."

* * *

"When senior year rolled around, my parents' finances came to a grinding halt. I didn't qualify for financial aid at school based on their taxes from the previous year and my parents couldn't afford to keep me at Thacher. Adam had just turned 18 and gained control of his trust fund and offered to pay for my tuition… if we got married. My dad thought I had hit the motherlode, and gave his consent for me to marry at 17. So we did it… we got married in a courthouse in Ojai, California. We moved out of the dorms and into a beautiful house. He bought me a car and also my horse from the school so I could have her all to myself… for a few months it was perfect."

"Months?"

"It started out with simple rules he disguised as concerns for my well-being. I couldn't drive at night because we lived at the end of a winding road that could be dangerous. I couldn't have friends over because he wanted to spend time alone with just me. Then it got a little more controlling… he would calculate the mileage in my car every time I drove it to make sure I wasn't going anywhere he didn't know of. He blocked numbers on my phone without my knowledge so I lost contact with people. Then, it got scary. He decided one day that I needed to quit my job but when I refused, he smashed every window of my car while I was in it. When he saw me talking to a guy friend on campus, I came home to him polishing a gun I had never even seen before. He took me out back, to the stables… and he killed my horse right in front of me." Tears began to cascade down her cheeks by the dozens.

Arnold immediately pushed his chair back and knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her thighs. "You don't have to finish, Helga," he said.

She nodded fiercely and replied, "I can't stop now." She continued after a few deep breaths. "A neighbor heard the gunshots and called the cops. They found him aiming the gun at the back of my head while I cried over my horse. I filed charges against him as well as an annulment of the marriage all in the same day," she sniffled. "He spent a few years in jail but when he got out, he went right back to terrorizing me."

"How?"

"Big Bob is broke, Arnold. He's been trying to sell his emporium for years, but he hasn't been able to. Adam put in an offer to buy from my dad… but only if I marry him again."

"The merger," Arnold recalled the message Adam had left for Helga last week.

She nodded. "I can't marry him again. He'll kill me this time."

* * *

Arnold stared up at his ceiling, going through the night's events. After Helga finished her story, they both agreed that they both had a lot to think about separately. They had said goodnight in front of Arnold's door and he watched as she climbed the attic stairs to her room. _I wonder what she's doing right now_ …

He rolled over onto his stomach and reached for the TV remote on his bedside table. He sat up and flipped through the channels trying to find something to take his mind off of Helga G. Pataki. When nothing appealed to him, Arnold threw himself back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling once again. _She's right up there, you know…_

He grabbed a pillow, pushed it onto his face, and groaned loudly. _Stop_ it, he scolded himself. _You'll see her in the morning._ He was on his feet at once, tugging the long sleeve black shirt over his head. As the fabric caressed his face, he smelled mangoes. He licked his lips, remembering the feel of her breath on his face and the taste of her kiss. His body ached, longing to feel her skin instead of the phantom of a memory.

Arnold shook his head to clear his thoughts of Helga and pulled on a white shirt and gray sweatpants before climbing back into bed. When he closed his eyes, he saw her in front of him on the dance floor. He felt her arms around his waist and heard her whisper again, "Do it." It had seemed a good idea earlier to part ways, but now he was wondering what the hell he was thinking. _She probably is sound asleep not even thinking about you, you big idiot._

"Fuck this," he said aloud, rolling out of bed. Before he could control himself, Arnold found himself in the hall then taking the attic stairs two steps at a time. He reached forward to knock on the closed but fell forward as it began to open.

"Arnold!" Helga gasped. "What are you doing?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Our conversation earlier was pretty heavy," he lied.

"Oh… I'm okay. It felt good to get some of that stuff off my chest," she said as she leaned her tilted head on the door. "Was that all?"

"Yeah. I mean that's—wait a second. Where were _you_ going just now?"

"Come again?"

"You opened the door before I could knock… so where were you going?" he smiled in satisfaction upon seeing her squirm.

"I was hungry," she said quickly.

They looked at each other for a second and blurted out in unison, "Are you lying?!" They laughed a little before Helga stepped back into her room and opened the door wider for Arnold to enter.

"So… what do you feel like doing?" she asked as she closed the door behind him.

"I just… wanted to talk to you a little bit more."

Helga's grin brightened the room and she excitedly asked if they could do talk on the roof. Arnold nodded and grabbed the blanket off her bed. When the blanket had been laid out and they sat comfortably under the stars, Helga leaned over. "Can I hear part two of your San Lorenzo adventure?"

"We'll be out here for hours!" Arnold laughed.

"I'm good with that," she replied.

 _So am I,_ he thought. _So am I._


End file.
